as a result we are watching severe weather, things like tornados in january. this will give you some idea of what's going on across the country tonight. in denver, temperatures have fallen 27 degrees in a day. kansas city, 30 degrees colder, cut bank, montana, 40 degrees colder. in chicago where today it was 63, by thursday it will be 18. there's an explanation for all of it, but it is a wild 24 hours. we begin with weather channel's mike seidel outside the weather in little rock. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the dip in the jet stream, a kink leading to unusually warm temperatures today and firing up the first widespread severe weather outbreak with tornados so far in 2013. tonight, we have tornado watches in five states. more will be issued overnight, and tomorrow so far no twisters reported, just wind damage. but a long way to go. take a look at the record warmth today. kansas city hitting 68 after

midnight, way above average. and in chicago, the coats, scarves, gloves came off yesterday. temperatures were in the 40s, last week had a high of 11 in chicago. 63 set a record. that's more than 30 degrees above average. back to the forecast for the storms. crossing the mississippi river tonight, keep an eye out in indianapolis and nashville after midnight for dangerous storms, strong wind gusts. tomorrow in new orleans where thousands are there for mardi gras and super bowl, you could be hit with rough weather. tomorrow, atlanta, are charlotte, d.c., later tomorrow in new york city, the threat of straight line wind damage, gusts over 60, a few isolated tornados. behind the front in cold air, back to reality, winter hits. frigid air, sub zero wind chills and des moines, green bay, temperatures 30. temperatures near zero tomorrow. wind chills down to 20 below zero. one record streak we would like

to continue. 220 days and counting without a tornado fatality. let's hope it continues that way. >> thanks for the update. mike seidel with an unbelievable turn of events in our weather, from little rock tonight. president obama flew to nevada to make a point today, a politically crucial place to throw his arms against a new path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants in this country. our white house correspondent peter alexander has our report from las vegas. >> reporter: the first trip of president obama's second term had the energy of a campaign event. vis issing this high school to build support for immigration reform. >> now is the time to find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants that still see america as the land of opportunity. >> reporter: the president's plan calls for bolstering border security, cracking down on

employers hiring undocumented workers, and most controversially allowing 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the u.s. to earn citizenship by paying taxes and passing a background check, among other requirements. >> this is not just a debate about policy, it is about people. >> reporter: mr. obama described a similar bipartisan plan in the senate as encouraging, but republicans are also warning the president that there are limits to their willingness to compromise. >> if this endeavor becomes a bidding war to see who can come up with the easiest, quickest pathway to green card possible, this won't go well, folks. >> reporter: after winning 17% of the latino vote, the president is okay pressuring republicans. >> if congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, i will send a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away.

>> reporter: among those moves for the reform, they came to the u.s. illegally 13 years ago from mexico city. visiting at home with them in california, their 22-year-old daughter can't imagine life outside the u.s. >> spent more than half my life here. i would not have the first idea of how works back in my country. >> folks forget most of us used to be them. >> reporter: the proepss aren't new, it is the political reality after republicans were crushed by latinos in the 2012 election, many look to improve their standing in the nation's fastest growing demographic. >> peter alexander, traveling with the president in las vegas tonight. thanks. in brazil, the death toll in the awful, sad nightclub fire has risen to 234, with a lot of survivors still hospitalized, some critical. investigators say the pyrotechnics show used in the

band's performance that started the fire was meant for outdoor use only. and fire extinguishers not up to par, doors were full of people that they didn't think paid for their drinks. during two years of civil war, bodies of at least 65 young men, many with hands bound behind their backs, lined up, shot to death on the banks of a river in aleppo. the awful discovery on the same day obama administration authorized 155 million in humanitarian aid for the syrian people, bringing total u.s. aid $365 million. the outstanding secretary of

state survived four years in office in the most travel intensive job there is. she survived a million miles in the air, visits to 112 nations. it took a fall in the bathroom to bring her down, but she's back up, and has emerged for an exit interview with nbc's andrea mitchell today during which she said among other things it is tougher these days to pull off the sweeping diplomatic achievements of the old days. she's at the state department today. good evening. >> reporter: hillary clinton said today that her first challenge taking over was to restore the world confidence in america's leadership, but she did acknowledge it is tougher in the current world to achieve those big breakthroughs as some of her predecessors did. >> i've kidded our mutual friend henry kissinger. think of how impossible it would have been for him to sneak off

to china in an age of cell phones, twitter, facebook, everything else. >> what do you think didn't go well? >> well, benghazi went wrong. >> shouldn't that get the highest possible attention immediately? >> well, that's what we're hoping to make sure does happen in the future. the security professionals get it right far more than they get it wrong. >> she has seen upheaval around the world in egypt, syria, and setbacks with vladimir putin's russia. when she campaigned against barack obama, she said she was better prepared to handle world crises. >> there's a phone in the white house and it's ringing. >> when that phone call rings at 3:00 in the morning, who's best prepared to answer it in 2016? >> well, that is to be decided by the american people, but one thing i've learned is that the phone rings day and night.

>> after a fall damaged her left eye, requiring glasses with a special prism, will health be a factor? >> i have stamina and i will be fully recovered to choose whatever i do. i don't have any decision made. >> are you convinced that the fall that led to the concussion, are you convinced that was caused by dehydration, have they ruled out a vascular event. >> it was virus. i had a vicious viral attack that, you know, caused all of the unpleasant things that viruses can cause. certainly gained a great deal of knowledge and sympathy for people who go through that, whether on the athletic field, battlefield, or in your bathroom as it was for me. >> in 2012, you told my friend barbara walters you had no intention of running for president. >> right. >> in december of 2001, you told tim russert, you had no intention of running for

president. >> and i didn't. >> things change. do you feel that joe biden as vice president has right of first refusal as it were within the party or is it an open competition if you decide to run? >> well, american politics is always an open competition but i have no, you know, i have no position on any of this. >> reporter: for now. clinton said she can't imagine waking up next week and having nowhere to go. she said maybe i'll go back to sleep for a change. brian? >> andrea mitchell at the state department for us, thanks. while the second term cabinet is not yet set, the last remaining republican in the obama first term cabinet announced he's leaving. ray lahood told the president he is moving on. former illinois congressman launched a huge safety awareness campaign against distracted driving during his four years as secretary, among other things. inspiring milestone from johns hopkins hospital, where last month an army veteran has

lost all four limbs underwent a remarkable transplant. today, the 26-year-old new yorker talked to reporters and said quite simply, quote, i feel like i'm getting a second chance. you will agree with that assessment when you see his story from jim miklaszewski. >> reporter: brandon wheeled himself into a packed news conference in baltimore. what's remarkable, he did it with a pair of arms he received six weeks ago in a double transplant operation. >> i never really accepted the fact that i didn't have arms, so now that i have them again, it's almost like it never happened. >> reporter: as an army private in iraq, he lost both his legs and arms to a roadside bomb. the military's first quadruple amputee to survive. but he never gave up hope, and amazingly, considered himself lucky. >> i was still alive. that's really all that mattered to me. >> reporter: for nearly four

years, he suffered through the pain of therapy at walter reed hospital. >> hurts anything that touches them. >> reporter: he mastered his artificial limbs, all four of them. but that would never be good enough. >> i hated not having arms. i was all right with not having legs. not having arms takes so much away from you, even your personality. >> reporter: last december, a team of doctors at johns hopkins working 13 hours straight connected miles of nerves, blood vessels and tendons to transplant two arms from a deceased anonymous donor. also transplated his bone marrow to reduce rejection. with unbridaled spirit, his progress is nothing short of miraculous. first time he moved his arms was a bit of a shock. >> one of my friends was like freaking out. like did you do that on purpose? >> reporter: now scratching his nose is second nature. his goal is to someday compete

again in sports but most of all drive his car. >> he is stubborn and in a good way, not going to let anybody tell him he can't do something. >> reporter: he makes it clear nothing will stop him. and so far nothing has. >> life always gets better, you're still alive. >> reporter: jim miklaszewski, nbc news, baltimore. >> remarkable story of achievement. let's take a break this tuesday night. when we come back, news on the weight loss front tonight. why some doctors say it is not only what you eat but when. what time of the day that matters. later, a big change for a certain population at the zoo. and they've taken to swiping just fine.

is just fine.

on the topic of weight loss. a new study may give dieters some fresh ammunition in their fight. according to the new research, which matches what some folks have been saying for some time, timing could be everything when it comes to sensible eating. our report from our chief science correspondent, robert bazell. >> reporter: when it comes to

meals, many of us, like these lunchtime diners in miami, have fairly set schedules. >> i try not to eat dinner past 6:30. >> i will usually work out in the morning, then follow it up with breakfast and lunch at noon. >> reporter: today's study suggests that timing might matter, at least for those who are trying to lose weight. >> this was the first long-term, large-scale study to really show that the timing of meal intake is important in the success of weight loss therapy. >> reporter: the study looked at overweight women who were on the mediterranean diet, high in fish, vegetables and olive oil. the study was done in spain, where lunch is typically the largest meal of the day. all 420 volunteers consumed the same number of calories, those who had lunch before 3 p.m. lost an average of 22 pounds in 20 weeks, five pounds more than those who ate lunch later. the question of timing and weight gain is not new. many experts say that a calorie is a calorie, no matter when you eat it.

even those who say timing is important admit that timing is never more important than how much you eat. still, studies in animals have suggested that meals at different times can affect the biological clocks in our bodies. >> food acts as a signal of time to all the cells in our body, including for the liver and fat tissue. >> thank you. bye. >> reporter: but today's news may not be practical for many busy americans. >> i'm the mother of a 2 1/2-year-old and a 6-month-old. so, my eating habits more so depend on their eating habits. >> when i have a spare moment is when i eat. so, if that's at 3:00, that's at 3:00. if it's at noon, it's at noon. >> reporter: the latest study suggested noon may be better. robert bazell, nbc news, new york. a health update on two big names tonight. burt reynolds and barbara walters are both out of the hospital. reynolds was in an icu in florida for a time because of the flu. barbara walters has been

hospitalized since before the inauguration. we learned just yesterday she had come down with chicken pox at the age of 83. we are back in a moment with a place that's been hidden away for decades suddenly available for all of us to see.

the invasion of sea foam we told you about last night has worsened along a section of australian coastline. it's a combination of severe coastal storm, high waves and high winds injecting a whole lot of air into that water. it is mostly organic and thick enough you could almost lose a kid or two in there. high seas drawing surfers half a world away in portugal. look at that. a confluence of low-pressure systems is ramming water into a popular spot on the coast north of lisbon, creating monster waves for surfers. a federal judge in new orleans has approved a deal calling for bp to pay a record $4 billion in criminal penalties from the deepwater horizon spill, the worst environmental disaster of all time.

it includes manslaughter charges for the 11 workers who died on the rig. the judge called it just punishment for what has happened. we have been covering the smog in beijing, which has now grown so bad, it's causing flight delays because pilots just can't see. the u.s. embassy has warned all of its workers, "everyone should avoid all physical activity outdoors." the smog a result of virtually unregulated industry is finally being treated as an emergency by the government of china. google maps used to show north korea as a blank, vast morass. now, suddenly, those looking to get around in the most shutoff nation in the modern world can rely on google maps. they are detailed enough to show pyongyang subway stops and they show the famous gulags, which the map labels concentration camps. a lot of people found it interesting this comes just after google executive chairman eric schmitt visited north korea.

and of all the honors tina fey has received, this one is at least tastier than a golden globe. to mark the final episode of "30 rock" this thursday night on nbc, ben & jerry are launching "30 rock, the ice cream." they resisted temptation to do a liz lemon sorbet. we learn the actual ingredients finale. up next here tonight, it's all happening at the zoo. and these days, that means personal electronics.

finally tonight, attention all humans who have ever struggled with an electronic device. the national zoo in washington has equipped its apes with ipads, and they found some very specific apps that are proving both highly attractive and highly addictive. our report tonight from our man in the field, nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: ever had one of those days when you're sitting around and you just don't know what to do? >> what do you think, kiddo? you want to try it out? >> reporter: turns out at the national zoo, there's an app for that. >> you got to be gentle. >> reporter: lots of apps. 16-year-old battang uses her long arms and fingers to tap. she loves the drums and cymbals.

♪ 36-year-old bonnie prefers playing the keyboard or scrolling through photos of other animals. the program is called "apps for apes," one of many ways that 13 zoos, including the smithsonian national zoo in washington are trying to enrich the lives of these endangered animals. >> it engages their sight, their touch, sound. they can choose to sit here and participate or they can walk away. >> reporter: but they're not. they're painting, fishing, playing instruments, and coming back for more. this is lucy, she is 39 years old. and like all orangutans, she has her own personality and she is very curious. and so researchers say the challenge is to keep her and all of her friends constantly mentally engaged. >> trying to break it up, make their day a little different. the same thing, day after day, just like a human, would be pretty repetitive and pretty boring. >> reporter: how many orangutans do you know have gotten a shoutout on "snl"? >> orangutans at the national zoo are now being given ipads as

a part of apps for apes program. man, and you think your screen gets dirty? >> reporter: it turns out researchers are even using ipads to communicate with dolphins, but, of course, apes have hands and they love to break stuff. >> no. nope. >> reporter: but these apes also love their apps. tom costello, nbc news, washington. that's our broadcast on a tuesday night, thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

right now at 6:00 a missing child case dating back some 30 years. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. almost 30 years of searching for clues and tonight this case might be solved. it was a case that gripped the bay area and made national headlines. the disappearance of kevin collins. we've just learned that today's dig in san francisco has turned up something but investigators aren't sure exactly what that something is. right now there's a heavy police presence near the intersection of mesonic and page just south of the panhandle near golden gate park. for the very latest bring in jean elle. what do we know this hour? >> reporter: we now know the san francisco police department dug a hole here and recovered some woen fragments. the focus is the yard right next to that greenhouse. sources say the bones appear to be animal, but the medical

examiner is now taking a closer look at those bones. the san francisco police department, the fbi and the alameda county sheriff's department served a search warrant here at 7:00 a.m. related to the kevin collins case. the alameda county sheriff's department says they provide add cadaver dog for the search. construction workers say police dug a hole between two homes, removed some evidence, and then asked the workers to fill that hole in with concrete. kevin collins was 10 years old when he disappeared here. it was february 10, 1984, when he didn't return home from basketball practice. he was last seen at oak and mesonic talking to a man. that location is just two blocks from where they are now searching. neighbors say they remember the high-profile abduction 28 years ago. >> it was very odd that no one had seen anything or couldn't ca